It Started With a Smile
by Vamptress RayZor
Summary: This is experimental. He worked at the local minimart and saw her everyday. She disappears and he can't get her out of his head. A friend hooks them up, but could it ever work? AU Squffie
1. Chapter 1

_**It Started With a Simple Smile...  
**Wytor**BAM**_

It started with a simple smile...

He was working the register at the local mini-mart and she was a regular. She always smiled kindly at him, despite however frightening he may have seemed. His long dark hair, cold blue eyes, diagonal scar betwixt his eyes... Everything about the man screamed "FREAK!" but she always smiled at him. He never understood why.

After a while, her smile became contagious and he would sort of smirk back at her. She thought this was wonderful, almost like making progress with an autistic child. She continued going there for her daily needs. Cigarettes, milk, bread, soda, caffeine... anything that she needed, she could get there. He became so accustomed to seeing her, that it threw him for a loop the one day she did not show up. Deciding that she must be ill, the man continued on.

Another day went by, then another, and another... There was no sign of the hyper-active young woman with the smile. He was concerned, more concerned than he would have been for anyone else. What if she had become suddenly ill? Or someone had kidnapped and raped her? What is she was lying alongside the road somewhere.

"I haven't seen that girl here in a long time," Cloud, the man's blonde porcupine of a friend, stated after about two weeks. "Wonder what happened to her."

A woman about their age looked up from the counter with large emerald eyes. "What girl would that be?" she asked in her soft-spoken manner.

The man shrugged. "A girl about this tall-" he held his hand out about mid-chest level on himself- "with purplish eyes. She was really hyper and had dark hair that always fell over her right eye."

The woman nodded. "I know her. Yuffie Kisaragi. She was only staying with Cid for the summer, then she was going back to school."

The man's eyes widened. "School? Like... High school?"

The woman laughed. "Oh, no! Yuffie's twenty-three. She is going to Wright State University. She's majoring in English there." Her green eyes surveyed him. "So.. Leon, right?"

He looked blankly at her, then remembered his name tag and nodded. "Yeah."

"I'm Aerith. If you want, I can get Yuffie's dorm number and such for you."

Cloud nudged him in the ribs before he could refuse and said, "Know what? Why don't you and I take the two of them out? I mean, just out to a local place or something."

Leon's blue eyes turned on Cloud in a most irate fashion, but Aerith had already agreed. They exchanged numbers and she promised to set up a date with them. Once she had left, Leon glared at his friend. "That Yuffie girl is nine years younger than me!"

Cloud shrugged. "Age doesn't matter, man! Just give it a shot!"

Leon scowled... But found himself wearing jeans without holes in them and a button-down black shirt over a white tee the next Saturday. Cloud wore jeans and a form-fitting black tee, his hair as psychotic as usual. Leon barely bothered to brush his own shoulder-length tresses. The two of them were meeting their dates at a cafe in town. Aerith and Cloud had talked a lot, apparently, and Yuffie had seemed excited to get to meet the man from the mini-mart.

The sauntered into the cafe and his eyes caught sight of her immediately. She wore tight jeans and a green halter. Her eyes still gleamed with the same smile that he had grown accustomed to during the summer months. She smiled and he could not help but to respond with his half-smile. He walked over to her and she stood to greet him.

"I'm Yuffie Kisaragi," she told him matter-of-factly.

"Squall- err.. Leon Leonhart," he replied.

With a slim eyebrow raised, she questioned, "So, which is it? Squall or Leon?"

"Leon," he quickly replied.

Cloud met Aerith with a hug and the two potential couples sat down. They ordered their meals and Cloud tried to strike up a conversation with Yuffie. "So, where were you staying that you came to the mini-mart everyday?"

She laughed. "Actually, I was staying at The Highwind Shoppe, but it was easier to walk to the mini-mart than it was to try to get to the other store in town. Besides, after I'd met you and Squall, I found it mildly amusing."

"It's Leon," he corrected immediately.

"Sorry," she said, not really sounding very apologetic. "That's the first name you said, so I'm afraid it's probably gonna stick with me."

"So," Cloud inserted before Leon blew a gasket, "What are you studying at Wright State?"

Yuffie caught the hint to leave Leon alone about the name thing. "I'm going into journalism. I really want to-" she didn't finish because a person caught her eye.

A tall man with long, silver hair and emerald eyes stopped at their table and smiled at her. "Hello, Yuffie. It's been a while."

"Sephiroth," she returned. Leon detected the fear in her tone, though she tried so hard to cover it up. Cloud instantly disliked the man and Aerith leaned away from him, feeling as if she would shrivel if he were to touch her. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, actually. I remembered that when you were in town you liked to frequent this place and I thought I'd drop in to chit-chat for a while." His eyes flickered across her, then to Leon. The man had placed his body partially in front of Yuffie's in a protective sort of way. "Care to introduce me to your friends?"

Leon glanced back at Yuffie, whose eyes seemed to plead with him. "This is Leon, my boyfriend. That's Cloud and his girlfriend Aerith," she replied, her eyes meeting with his evenly.

Being called Yuffie's boyfriend sort of threw Leon for a loop. He had not dated since... Well, since before he had gotten married and divorced. Which brought another thought to his mind, but he rid himself of it quickly.

"Boyfriend, huh?" Sephiroth asked. "How long?"

"Couple months," Leon replied instantaneously. "We began dating in June."

Yuffie was caught off-guard this time, but recovered well. "So, please leave, Sephiroth."

The man shrugged. "Hey, I was just stopping by to say hello to an old friend..." With that said, he walked away.

Leon and Cloud both looked to Yuffie, who kept her composure until Sephiroth was out of the cafe and down the street. She collapsed, her face in her arms, and sighed. Her hands trembled until Leon placed one hand on top of her own.

"Who was that?" he asked curiously.

"Sephiroth," she replied miserably. "He's an ex-boyfriend from high school. We had a falling out our senior year and... ugh..." She looked up at them. "Thank you for playing along though." Her eyes met Leon's. "And thanks for being quick at answering. He's pretty good at seeing through people, which is why I almost said you were just a friend. Then he would've been hitting on me, though, and I can't stand him. He's just such a jackass and I really-"

Cloud and Aerith began to laugh and Yuffie stopped talking suddenly, her face reddening. Leon looked at her oddly. "I... Didn't know you could talk so quickly... Or so much..."

She giggled awkwardly. "Sorry... I get that way sometimes."

As they continued their meal, Leon noticed she kept looking toward the door and fidgeting. Her hand lay in her lap and he reached over, placing his large hand over both of her smaller. She looked up at him and his heart skipped a beat. She really was very pretty. Yuffie smiled and squeezed his hand as if to thank him for caring.

_**--**_

_**BAM: **Soooo... Should I continue? What d'ya think? I know I haven't really written anything in a while, but I had sudden inspiration. I really hope that you liked it!_


	2. Chapter 2

_It Started With a Simple Smile...  
Wytor**BAM**_

They walked out into the night, Aerith and Cloud still absorbed in conversation back at the cafe. Yuffie had told Aerith that she was going to have Leon drop her off at Cid's and Leon promised to behave himself and go home afterward. The two of them walked in comfortable silence for a while, neither really wanting to get back to The Highwind Shoppe anytime soon. So they walked.

"Wanna play a game?" Yuffie asked, looked up and over at him with a sly grin on her face.

He looked at her uneasily before nodded. "Okay..."

She nodded. "Okay.. Twenty Questions! I go first! How old are you?"

Leon cringed, figuring that she was going to freak out and leave. "I am... 31 years old."

Yuffie stopped though Leon kept walking. She stared at him before jogging to catch up, trying to look him in the face though he kept walking. "Really? I would've guessed about... Iono... Maybe 28 or 29 at most. Are you really 31?" He nodded and she shrugged. "Okay, then. Your go!"

He glanced at her. That wasn't the response he had expected. Maybe one where she just kept silent then never talked to him again, but not a flippant non-chalance that he thought only Cloud had. "What's your favorite color?" he asked dully, no good questions coming to mind.

She laughed. "Orange," she replied. "But green's a good color too! Are you married?"

He looked at her oddly, causing her to laugh again. He smirked. "No. Not anymore. Are you?"

She laughed even more. She laughed so hard that she snorted and caused him to look at her in mock concern. "Ha ha! No, no! As a matter of fact, I've only had two long-lasting relationships. Vincent and... Yeah, you met Sephiroth..."

She grew quiet and they headed toward a small park. It was called Radiant Garden and happened to be the one spot in the entire city that Leon did not despise. He led her to a bench and they sat down. Blue eyes looked up at her nd she smiled somewhat uneasily.

"You said you'd been married before..." She trailed off, her eyes questioning but she would not voice her questions.

He sat with his forearms resting on his thighs and looked down at the ground. "I got married when I was eighteen; she was seventeen. We divorced about three years ago."

Yuffie cocked her head in a curious fashion. "Do you... Do you have any children?"

Leon's heart leapt. Here it was. This was the moment of truth. Normally, he would just answer a quick yes and watch the woman walk away. This time was more difficult. For some reason, he really wanted her to stay. Something held him to her. He liked her and, for the first time in a long time, he felt as if he had a chance. But... Would she freak out?

"His name is Kit."

He swallowed hard and looked up at her. "Really? That's a cute name!"

Leon's heart sped up. "It's short for Kristopher."

"What's his middle name?"

The night seemed suddenly perfect. She wasn't going to freak out and run away? Maybe he was wrong. Maybe they did make nice girls still. Yeah, girl... She was nine years younger than he. That did not seem to bother her, but what if it had not had the time to sink in yet?

"Kristopher Michael Leonhart."

Yuffie smiled reassuringly at him, almost as if she really thought it was cool that he had a son. "How old is he?"

"Kit's eleven. He lives with his mother over on North Montana Avenue."

The young woman thoguht about it for a moment, then her eyes got round and her jaw fell open. "Ohmygod... Is.. Rinoa Heartilly your ex?" He nodded in confusion and Yuffie began to laugh. "I remember you! I thought you looked familiar when I saw you in the mini-mart, but then I thought I was just being weird again! I can't believe it!"

Leon stared in confusion. This girl knew him? How? "What are you talking about?"

She looked at him with a crooked smile, asking him silently if he remembered. "You were eighteen when I met you. I was best friends with a kid named Riku Tilmitt... Selphie's younger brother. Selphie was Rinoa's best friend and her Maid of Honor! I was _in_ your wedding! Granted, I was nine at the time, but still!"

Leon thought back on it, but couldn't remember her then. When he shook his head and shrugged, she laughed. "I'm not remembering you, Yuffie."

"It's because I was short, scrawny, and had really long hair. Like down to my butt kind of long hair. And it was almost black. I walked down the aisle with Riku."

He closed his eyes and pictured his wedding day. He had been so nervous, but when he caught sight of those two kids walking down the aisle, pinching each other without getting caught, he smiled. Those two were funny. He had seen them before, when he had picked up Rinoa from Selphie's.

He let out a chuckle and opened his eyes. "I remember you now. You and Riku kept pinching each other."

She grinned in triumph. "Yup! I totally didn't put two and two together till just now. You went by Squall then and I've been trying to call you that all night even though you keep correcting me. Why'd you change it?"

His smile faded. "That's delving into personal matters," he replied and she looked away in silence. She had not meant to upset him and he knew it.

"Sorry," she muttered, looking across the park.

He sighed. He really hadn't meant to snap at her. That was just one personal matter that he did not want to discuss. "Look, it's-"

"It's getting late and I have class tomorrow," she lied. Her violet eyes looked up at him and she forced a smile.

He had blown it. "I'll walk you."

She started to walk, realizing that he was serious about walking her to Cid's. "Uhm... Y'know what? I'll be okay by myself, really."

Her eyes spoke of secrets that she never wanted to reveal, not even to herself. Those eyes, which had been shimmering with smiles only a few minutes before, which had only enhanced the mystery behind her smiles. He did not want this to go badly, but he did not trust himself to let her walk away.

"That Sephiroth guy..." he started weakly.

"I'm a big girl, thanks. I can take care of myself." She flexed her arm with a sarcastic smile. "See? They don't call me the Great Ninja Yuffie for nothin'!"

With that, he watched her walk away by herself. She walked through the park, then turned left at the gate. He waited until he could not see her, then began walking in the opposite direction. He had made it a mere ten paces before a shrill shriek caught him by surprise. He whirled around and began running the way Yuffie had gone.

_**- hearts -**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**It Started With a Smile...  
**__Wytor**Bam**_

Her eyes glared at the man standing before her. "You jackass! What the hell were you doing!? Were you spying on me!? I thought you were some creep trying to rape me or something! Don't you dare sneak up on me like that again!"

The silver-haired young man laughed, nearly doubled over with the laughter. "B-but Yuffie!" he managed through hysterical giggles.

"Riku! You're a jerk!" Loud, thudding footsteps caused her to whirl around and look at the man standing there.

Winded, confused, and aching, Leon look at her in concern. "Are you okay?"

Aqua eyes narrowed, surveying the man. He was obviously older than both he and Yuffie. Was this the man she had gone on a date with? Surely not this guy. He was too old for her, his hair was too long, and he was scarred. Yuffie didn't like scars, did she? She had taunted that Seifer guy at their school for his scar and it was almost identical to this guy's. What was going on?

"I'm fine," she replied. Her eyes didn't look at him, they gazed. This had an interesting effect on Riku. He didn't like it. It was not that he was jealous, but that he instantly had BBS - Big Brother Syndrome. He wanted to tear the man to shreds.

"I thought... Sephiroth..." Leon shook his head. "Forget it. Do you need me to walk you home or..?"

Yuffie smiled. "If you want to, you can walk me to Cid's."

Riku grunted. "I'll see ya 'round, Yu. I'm gonna head over to Sora's, I think."

Yuffie gave him a quick hug and she and Leon started off down the sidewalk, opposite of the direction Riku had gone. "Sorry that I scared you," she apologized. "Riku snuck up on me."

Leon nodded in silence. He was too busy contemplating what, exactly, he was supposed to be doing. Was he supposed to take her hand? Was he supposed to sling his arm around her shoulders or her waist? Was he even supposed to do anything at all? He was so out of it! He had not dated since he was a teen! What if he screwed up? Why was he worrying so much!?

"Are you okay? You're actin' weird, Squall."

He looked over at her from under long bangs, pausing in his walk. She stopped and their eyes locked, though his own were slightly veiled. She raised a hand to brush them lightly out of his face and he caught her hand gently, pulling it down to kiss her knuckles. He wasn't sure what he was doing, but neither of them disliked it. Her other hand reached up to caress his cheek and he closed his eyes momentarily. How long had it been since he had felt his heart speed up like that?

Yuffie wanted to kiss him. She wanted to kiss him more than she had ever wanted to kiss anyone. She wasn't sure why, really. She just really wanted to taste his lips, to know what it was like to be in his arms, to feel warm and protected. She stepped closer to him as his eyes opened, feeling his body warmth radiating toward her. He still held her left hand, her right hand on his left cheek, and their eyes were locked without either wanting to look away.

He leaned down, his eyes still on her own, and captured her lips with his. The shock that he had made the first move on the first date was more than enough to send him reeling. She pulled away slowly and looked up at him with shy, half-lidded eyes.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"For what?" was her response.

He looked at her and allowed his customary smirk to spread over his face. "Are you sure that you want to become involved with me? I'm nine years older than you. I have an ex-wife and a child who is eleven."

Yuffie smiled that smile that had started his infatuation in the first place. "If I wasn't sure, would I still be standing here?"

He took her in his arms and hugged her tightly. He was so awkward about showing his affections and emotions, but she made him show more than he had in a long time. Maybe it was time for him to move on and get a real life. Rinoa certainly had moved on, so why couldn't he?

Yuffie pulled out of his hug and looked up at him with a smile. "You still gonna walk me home? It's gettin' late and Cid's is at least a twenty minute walk."

He nodded, taking her hand and beginning to lead the way.

Their walk was long and filled with her questions about his life. Where he lived, why he worked at the mini-mart, how often he got to see Kit... He answered everything truthfully and loved every minute of the walk. They paused occasionally at a light, which usually resulted in her wrapping her arms around his middle and snuggling into him to keep warm. He did not mind it, though. She wasn't too fast for him. As a matter of fact, he rather enjoyed the thought of being in a real relationship again.

They reached The Highwind Shoppe and she unclasped her keys from her belt loop. He walked her to the door, the sound of a television coming from inside the house beside the shop, and she turned to him. "I had fun," she told him, not a hint of a lie to be found.

"I did too."

He felt so awkward, having been so out of practice. She noticed this and took his hand in her own. "You're supposed to lean down and kiss me now," she told him with a wink.

He let a small laugh fall out and he nodded. Leaning down, he captured her lips for a second time that night. She savored the warmth of them and licked at his bottom lip before pulling away.

"Good night, Yuffie," he said, his eyes alight.

"Good night, Squall."

He frowned in mock anger. "Leon."

She rolled her eyes. "Right. Good night, Squall."

That said, she walked inside and he walked down the street.

"To think," he mumbled to himself, "that this all started with a smile. Because her smile was in there every day, I grew attached." He ran a hand through his long mane. "I can't believe this is happening to me."

_**-hearts-**_


	4. Chapter 4

_It Started With A Simple Smile...  
Wytor**BAM**_

She rose from her bed and grabbed clothes off the top of her bag, meandering into the bathroom as she struggled to wake up. She had big plans today and she had to be awake to be able to carry them out. Steam rose from the shower stall Cid had put in place of the bath tub. She silently thanked him for this. Yuffie was notoriously clumsy in the mornings and she would have bet her life on the fact that she would have tripped over the edge of the tub, smashed her face into the wall, then cursed loud enough that she would had awaken the other occupants of the house.

Her face fell as she thought of the other occupants, of one occupant in particular. Stripping herself of the sweats and tee she had worn to bed, her mind wondered over that occupant. She wondered if he would have been okay with the previous night's actions. Should she go talk to him? Or would he be mad? Would he even understand..? After all, he was unresponsive to everything. Though his room was kept open for him to come back, it was doubtful he ever would...

Stepping into the shower, she forced her thoughts to someone else. As the hot water hit her skin and turned it to an angry red, she let out a breath. Squall. He was cute, too cute, and he was nice. She really liked him... A lot.

A pounding on the bathroom door disrupted her musings.

"Yuffie! Something's wrong! It's Vincent! The hospital just called!"

Her heart stopped.

Yuffie found herself sitting next to the hospital bed as the occupant slept peacefully, his chest rising and falling rhythmically. She clasped his hand, her eyes on his paler-than-usual face. She brushed a few strands of long raven hair out of his face, jumping a little as he flinched. He could feel the coldness of her fingers, that was a good sign, right? That meant that his seizures hadn't paralyzed him or anything, right?

A doctor walked in and smiled politely at her. He was tall with dark brown hair that reminded her vaguely of Squall's. His eyes were blue too. She quickly shoved that aside and looked at him expectantly.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

He smiled again at her. His smiles were horribly contagious, because she was forced to smile back. "I'm Dr. Laguna Loire. Your friend here had a seizure. It wasn't too bad, though, compared to his previous ones. As a matter of fact, he has developed something new. His brain activity is nearly normal. It's something that is extremely rare in people like him."

Yuffie eyes widened and a true smile spread across her face. "You mean... He'll be okay?"

Laguna shifted uneasily. "I mean that he will be able to carry on full conversations again once he re-teaches himself how to speak. And, possibly, be able to walk."

The girl bit her lip, barely able to contain her joy. "It's been so long since I've heard him say anything..."

Laguna cocked his head in curiosity. "Are you his sister?"

She shook her head sadly, looking only at the slumbering man's face. "No. I was his girlfriend when it happened. We were sixteen." She looked at him with tears in her eyes. "Thank you, Doctor Loire."

The doctor smiled at her and excused himself. He walked down the hallway in a daze. She was so happy just to know that he would talk again. He glanced at the chart in his hand. Vincent Valentine. He had been in an accident his sophomore year of high school. His own parents were long gone and he had been living with a man named Cid Highwind, who also took care of several other foster children. His own wife was unable to reproduce.

"Dr. Loire, there is a man looking for you. He says that he is your son."

Laguna's mood escalated. He had not seen his son in months! Why the sudden surprise? "Where?"

He was led to his own office and looked in the door to see his son leaning against his desk, a smile on his face. Laguna looked to where Squall was looking to see why he was smiling.

"Kit!" he boomed, entering the room and scooping up the child. Kit was tall, like his father, which made it a little harder for Laguna to scoop him up, but he managed.

"Hey, gramps," the eleven-year-old replied.

Squall looked darkly at his father, letting him know that Kit was the only reason they were there. Laguna shrugged off his son's cold disposition, as always, and talked with his only grandchild.

"How've you been, Squall?" he asked after a few moments.

"It's Leon," his son corrected automatically. "And I'm here because Kit wanted to visit you if you aren't busy."

Laguna shrugged again, goofy as always, and knelt to talk to his grandson once again. Leon's eyes gazed out of his father's office. He hated hospitals. They were odd-smelling, foul places. His eyes caught sight of people walking through the hallway, but one in particular caught his attention. A petite young woman wearing jeans and a baggy hooded sweatshirt flipped her short raven locks over her left eye as she talked to the nurses at the nurses' station.

As she turned, a quirky smile on her face, his heart sped up. He walked out, saying, "Yuffie?"

She looked at him with wide, dark eyes. "Oh. Leon! What are you doing here? Are you okay? Is Kit okay?"

He nodded. "I was worried more about you. Why are you here?"

She bit her lip, looking away. "Well, I-"

"Miss Kisaragi? He's awake."

She rounded on the nurse with wide, hopeful, tearful eyes. "He is..?

She grabbed Leon's hand and led him down the hallway at a quick pace. Once they had reached the right room, she sprinted in, dropping his hand, to see the man in the bed. "Vincent?"

Leon watched, confusion smacking him in the face. The man was tall, taller than himself, and extremely thin. His red eyes surveyed the young woman, then glanced over at Leon, who had remained in the doorway. They retraced their path to her face again and he tried to reach up to touch her, but his arms did not seem to want to move.

"Oh, Vincent," she sobbed, dropping to his side and holding his right hand in both of her own. "I've missed you."

Leon shuffled uncertainly before remembering his son and his father. "Yuffie? I- uh-"

She looked up, wiping away her tears quickly. "Oh, I'm sorry, Squall. Um, this is Vincent Valentine. He's..." What? Her boyfriend who had been in a coma for seven years..? "My friend," she finished, thinking that would be the safest thing to say.

Leon did not know what to say. He watched her before saying, "Kit's with his grandfather, so I need to get back to him."

Her eyes widened. "Oh, is your father in the hospital too?"

"In a matter of speaking," he muttered. She looked at him quizzically. "He is Dr. Loire, one of the-"

"He's Vinnie's doctor!"

Leon nodded, not quite sure, but still wanting to look authoritative. "Yeah. I need to get back to Kit."

She smiled that perfect smile that had started everything. "Okay. I'm gonna stay here with Vinnie."

He walked out, not quite sure about what Vincent really was to her. This made his heart stop. What if Vincent was competition?

Vincent's eyes traveled over her face and she smiled at him. "Can you talk..?" He licked his lips, as if he was parched. "I'll get a nurse to get you something," she said happily. As she started across the room, he made a throaty sound. She turned and looked at him with wide eyes. "You really can understand, can't you? You're really back!"

_**-hearts-**_

_Okay, so it's a little shorter than the others, but is it okay? Please review!_


	5. Chapter 5

_It Started With a Smile...  
Wytor**BAM**_

It took weeks for Vincent Valentine to begin to be able to speak again. He started slowly, like a child, making throaty sounds and some awkward hand movements. Within a week, Yuffie had him sitting up on his own and he could indicate for things, though his muscles were no longer the intense, chiseled muscles she once knew. They were weak and he could not hold his arms up over his head very long.

During those weeks, Yuffie borrowed Cid's old pick-up so she could drive from school to the hospital. She called Leon a few times, but they never talked very long. She was beginning to wonder if they were together at all. She tried to make conversation with him when she would get back from the hospital, but he was not a very good conversationalist. She was beginning to doubt the night they had gone out. Perhaps she had made it up in her mind?

The first word out of Vincent's mouth was an easy one. "Yuffie."

She looked up at him from the puzzle they were working on with wide eyes. His voice was somewhat raspy, but there was no mistaking that breath-taking tenor that she had fallen for so long ago. "Vinnie," she said softly, gazing at him with tear-filled eyes.

He smiled with his eyes, though his face remained stoic. "Yuffie."

She flung her arms around him, hugging him as tightly as she could. It was so amazing to hear him speak, to see his crimson eyes open, to know that he was alive and okay! She pulled away and grinned lop-sidedly at him. "I told Cid you'd be able to talk again! He didn't believe me, but I knew it! Don't you dare say that to him though, 'cause he'd deny it to his grave! But I told him so!"

"Yuffie?"

This voice did not come from Vincent, but it had the same giddy effect on her. She turned to the door to see the tall, russet-haired man she had been trying to talk to for weeks. "Oh! Squall!"

"Leon," he corrected automatically.

She hopped off the edge of Vincent's bed, smiling the smile that had started everything. He melted. "I didn't get to introduce you and Vinnie before 'cause he was still kinda outta it. Squall Leonhart, this is Vincent Valentine. Vincent, this is _Leon_."

Leon nodded and Vincent returned the gesture. Their eyes bore into each other. Yuffie, who was normally oblivious to this behavior, walked over to Leon and cocked her head at him in curiosity. "Whatcha need?"

"Are you busy tonight?" he asked in low tones, eyeing Vincent warily. "If you're going to be here with him, I understand."

"Yuffie."

She bit her lip and turned to see Vincent making a shoo gesture at her. She smiled gratefully at him. "I can go out tonight. Vinnie's gettin' tired of me anyway!"

Leon smiled that crooked smile that she had grown so fond of. "I will pick you up around six? At Cid's?"

She nodded, still biting her lower lip. He picked up her hand and kissed the back of it in a chivalrous way. "Bye, Squall," she said as he left. He probably corrected her, but she could not hear him anymore. She turned to go back to Vincent, who was staring disinterestedly at the puzzle in front of him.

"Are you okay?"

He shook his head, but his eyes never lied to her. He was hurt, but he wanted her to be happy. She couldn't tell all of that, of course, but that was what he would tell her if he could. Unfortunately, all he could say was her name. He made the silent vow to be able to speak by the end of the month.

At five o'clock, Yuffie kissed his forehead and left him. She returned to Cid's house, showered, and changed into black slacks and a red blouse that was cut a little lower than she would normally wear. She fixed her hair in a messy, yet stylish, look and applied some makeup. Her eyes looked a dusky gray under the black eyeliner. She decided that she really liked the effect.

The doorbell rang and she slipped on a pair of black pumps. A few seconds later, she had slipped a light-weight jacket on and was standing face-to-chest with Leon. He looked good in a button-down and a pair of khakis. She had to admit that she liked him better in jeans and a muscle shirt though.

"Shall we?" he asked, trying to be romantic and stoic at the same time. The result made Yuffie giggle as she took his hand and followed him down the steps to his black car.

They went out to a nice little Italian restaurant that made Yuffie think of those sappy chick-flicks that she and Aerith had watched when they were younger. The ones that had a sappy ending where the guy went down on one knee and begged for forgiveness for whatever he had done wrong and the girl had tears in her eyes and told him that she had forgiven him long ago.

"Your friend, Vincent, what happened to him?"

Yuffie looked up at him, trying to decide if she wanted to let him know the details. She bit her lip and began. "Vinnie and I were... best friends since I can remember. He was living with Cid and Shera before I moved in when we were twelve. I had known him since pre-school, of course, but it was really cool living in the same house as him.

"We were officially dating by the time we reached high school. And it was our sophomore year when we were in the accident. It wasn't his fault," she said quickly, glancing up to make sure Leon did not think differently. "The driver fell asleep and his semi hit us head-on. Vinnie swerved a little... His side was crushed. I'm not sure how long we were there before an ambulance came. I held his hand and kept calling his name until I heard voices. I blacked out..."

She was fidgeting with the napkin, her hands unable to remain still. "He was in a coma since that wreck... until recently, of course..."

Leon reached across the table and laid a hand over her own. "You are... Still going to be close, aren't you?"

She bit her lip uncertainly. "Yes... I think we are."

Vincent clumsily sat up, tired of being bed-ridden already. He could feel each muscle protesting his actions as he slung his legs over the edge of the bed. Could he stand? He thought about this for a moment, pondering on what Yuffie would say if he fell. She would probably scold him and hold him at the same time.

"Yuffie," he stated. "Ssss..." He took a breath. "Ci-id." He smirked. "Ae-Ae-Aerth..." He frown at this. There was a letter missing. "Aerth.. Aer-i-th." He swallowed, becoming anxious. "V-Vin-ncent. V-Vincent Val-en-tine."

He leaned against the railing on his bed. "I l-love... Yuffie."

---

Sorry it took so long! Got side-tracked with the boyfriend and college stuff! Hope you enjoyed!


	6. Chapter 6

It Started With a Smile  
WytorBAM

Yuffie felt Squall's hand in her own as they drove back to the Highwind Shoppe, but her thoughts were on Vincent. What if he was upset with her? Sure, he shooed her out, but that didn't mean that he really wanted her to stay, right? What if that was what was going through his mind?

"Yuffie?"

She looked over at the man beside her, his blue eyes filled with… what? She couldn't figure it out.

"Yeah?"

He took a moment to think as he pulled to the curb in front of her temporary home. "I think… You should spend more time with Vincent."

Her mouth fell open. "Why… Why do you say that?"

Leon stared at the steering wheel. "Because he needs you right now… And because I think you need to figure things out. I know you have feelings for him because of the way you talked about him tonight. I don't know if you have those same feelings for me, and I don't think you know either."

Yuffie bit her bottom lip. "I'm sorry, Squall… Everything just kinda happened all at once, I guess." She looked up and used her hand to make him look at her. "Please call me to go out occasionally? I really like you, but… I guess I'm just kinda confused right now."

"I'll do that, Yuffie."

With that, she got out of his car and walked inside.

Vincent licked his lips before looking at the speech therapist again. "My name is Vincent Valentine."

The woman nodded. "Okay, but who is your friend?"

He sighed, tired of this woman already. She had made him repeat Cid, Aerith, Yuffie, and Vincent at least twenty times already.

"Yuffie Kisaragi. Cid Highwind. Aerith Gainsborough." His red eyes glanced to the door, knowing that Yuffie was late. "Yuffie is late."

The woman received a shock from that. "Vincent, how much can you say?"

"As much as I like to say," he replied.

She laughed and shook her head. "In less than a week, you've accomplished more than anyone I've ever known. You don't even stutter. I'm going to recommend that they no longer assign me because I'm no longer needed." She stood and stretched before smiling kindly to him. "You take care, Vincent. Don't overuse your vocal chords."

As she walked out, Yuffie bounded into the room with a grin on her face. "Hey, Vinnie! How're you today?"

He looked up at her. She had bags under her eyes and the spark was slowly diminishing. "Yuffie? Have you been sleeping well?"

She shrugged. "So, you don't have to see the speech therapist anymore? How's the physical stuff goin'?"

"Do not avoid the subject, Yuffie."

Her eyes locked on his own red. "Okay. I have finals all week and Squall told me I needed to get my priorities straight before he'll date me again."

Vincent's jaw clenched. "What did he do to you?"

She stared at him in shock. "Do to me? Nothing. He just said I needed to figure some things out before he would take me out again. Because, y'know, with you being all better and stuff, I'm a little confused. He's a great guy, but I don't know how I really feel about you still."

Vincent sighed. "I'm sorry, Yuffie. My presence is tormenting you…"

"No, Vinnie! Don't even think that! I still love you, Vincent!"

Red eyes met her own once again and a small smile spread across his handsome features. "I love you, Yuffie. And I heard you when I was… incapacitated… I could hear you, Yuffie. Only you."

She smiled happily. "Really?" Then a thought struck her. "Do you… Do you remember everything?" she asked, thinking about the bruises she had once cried at his bedside about, about the pain someone else had inflicted upon her, about the rape…

Vincent read the fear in her eyes and wanted desperately to tell her a lie, but he told the truth instead. "No, I could only hear your voice, but not your words."

She bit her lip. "I really missed you, Vinnie." The tears came though she didn't want them to. "I really, really, missed you…"

_Sorry, all! I got caught up in school and shit, so I haven't been able to write. Hopefully, I'm back… But don't hold me to any promises! Thanks for those of you who are still reading this! I LOVE YOU!!!_

_**-BAM-**_


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